Watch mechanism.



R. L. MARSHALL.

WATCH MEGHANISM.

APPLIGATION FILED 51311115.1908.

Patented May 18, 1909I EUEEHTLMHSHHLL ATTORNEYS ma Nokms Ps1-:Rs au., wAsHmcrN, n, c.

ROBERT L. MARSHALL, OF ELIZABETHTOWN, KENTUCKY.

WAT CH ME CHANISV.

Specification of Letters '19a-tent.

Patented May 18, 1909.

Application filed September 15, 1908. Serial No. 453,080.

To all whom it may concern.'

Beit known that l, ROBERT L. MARSHALL, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Elizabethtown, in the county of Hardin and State of Kentucky, have made certain new and useful improvements in latch Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

ldy invention relates to improvements in watch mechanism and more especially to the provision of novel means for mounting the spring, its arbor, spring box with click and winding wheel made integral or attached thereto and the main driving-wheel of the going train, and for retaining the same in position.

The object of my invention, briefly stated is to provide a better, safer, more satisfactory and permanent means of accomplishing the purpose of the above mentioned mechanism than has heretofore been provided in other constructions. l do this in a way that permits jeweling the main driving arbor in permanent jewels set in the main plates at the maximum distance apart, said bearings having less frictional surface than those of other constructions approximating the results obtain. The spring box of my design has peripheral teeth integral or attached thereto, outside, centrally disposed in relation to, or above or below the center of the depth of the box, said teeth serving in the dual capacity of a click and winding wheel permitting by the construction, the winding of the watch without disturbing the going train or time keeping function of the watch, while winding; the spring box has bearings on itself which keep the novel click and winding wheel in vertical, horizontal and concentric alinement substantially as set forth in the drawings, and followingI specification. The main arbor in combination with this arrangement has by its greatest possible distance between the jewels, the least possible lateral movement and will permit, for the same reason only the least possible lateral movement or lack of alinement of itself or attached driving wheel, from any possible wear of the bearings, a construction making possible the use of fewer parts than heretofore used, as well as one which if desired can be so made as to accommodate a wider main spring than methods heretofore in use will house.

My invention is also suitable for clocks.

The broad subject-matter of this application is shown and described in a (zo-pending application Number 453,079 filed September l5, 1908. ln the co-pending application a mainspring box or barrel is provided which acts in the dual capacity of a cliclr and winding wheel and the barrel is held in position by means of an annular ring which constitutes part of the peripheral bearings.

An object of the invention set forth in the present application is to provide a novel form of means for retaining the spring box in position and for driving the same in its rotary movement.

A further object of the invention is to provide novel means for attaching the main spring to the driving arbor.

Other objects and advantages will appear and be particularly pointed out in the following specification.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which* Figure l is a plan view, partly in section, showing the center wheel, the main driving wheel, and part of the udnding mechanism; Fig. 2 is a similar plan view, showing the driving wheel removed, in which the-spring box or barrel is held by a cap plate 3 Fig. 3 is a section taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. l Fig. 4 is a section taken along the line 4 4 of Fig. l; and Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the spring box, the removable collar and the driving wheel.

Referring now to Fig. l, l have shown therein only so much of the ordinary watch mechanism as is necessary in the explanation of the novel features of my device. rlhese consist ofthe upper and lower plates A and B respectively, between which are secured the center wheel C, the wheel E, which is a part of the winding train, the driving, and other necessary mechanism.

The manner in which the spring box is mounted is clearly shown in Fig. 3. Disposed in thc top and bottom plates in accurate alinement, are the jeweled bearings c, l), respectively. lihese bearings are permanently secured in the plates and are not intended to be removed. The driving arbor E is journaled in these bearings, which will be noted, are at the maximum distance apart, namely in the top and bottom plates. The driving arbor E has an enlarged portion c upon which is rigidly mounted a driving wheel F. Mounted upon the enlarged portion E of the arbor is a collar OX which has a central radial extension c provided with a lug c. The collar CX has a lower reduced portion c2 adapted to lit the reduced portion e of the arbor. yThe arbor has a longitudinally extending slot e2 in its enlarged portion and the collar CX carries a hook 'for the main spring, said hool; extending radially inward through collar and 'forming a lug which engages in slot e2, which thus prevents the arbor turning in the collar and furnishes a means oi transmitting the power oi the main spring to the going train.

Loosel'y disposed upon' the collar CX is the spring box G. T his consists of a cjf'lindrical casing, provided With the top and bottom pieces ga and gb respectively. On the outer circumference oi' the cylinder there are arranged the teeth il. rl`hese teeth may be integral with the box itselie or they may be separate from the box and be attached thereto in any suitable manner. in the drawing l have shown these teeth as being arranged in the center of the cylinder but they may be arranged on either side oi the center. The main spring d has its outer end attached to the inner side or" the spring box, While its inner end is provided with a slot which enables it to be attached to small hool c on the collar CX.

In order to provide guiding and retaining means Jfor the spring barrel the bottom plate B is cut away in the manner shown in Figs. 3 and i to provide end and peripheral guides.

ln order to hold the movable box in horizontal and vertical alinement and yet reduce the friction to a minimum l have made use of the recesses t and t2 in the bottom plate B and the recess t4 in the cap K. lt Will be seen that the provision ot' these recesses leaves peripheral bearing shoulders d and end bearing shoulders d2 as clearly shown in the iigure. There is a spacefbelow the bottom of the spring barrel to eliminate any possible frictional contact of the bottoni ot the box with the bottom plate B, except as shown in the drawing.

ln order to retain the spring barrel in position, l have provided a cap K which as shown in Fig. 3 surmounts the spring barrel and is provided with the central recess t4 and the annular groove b3 heretofore referred to. Between these recesses is the shoulder d3 Which constitutes a peripheral bearing While the inner side oi"` the cap constitutes an end bearing, that portion 01"' the cap toward the center being slightly cored out to just clear the spring box, leaving an engaging portion opposite the outer edge of the box. The shoulders d', d2, d3, together With the engaging portion ot the cap retain the spring 'barrel in vertical and horizontal alinement.

The bottom plate E has an upwardly projecting annular flange 5X arranged to lit into the slot b3 to center the cap and to retain it in its position. The cap K has a laterally extending ilange k provided with openings through which the screws L are inserted to hold the cap securely to the bottom plate B. The space betiveen the recessed cap K and the recessed plate B provides a housing for the spring box While the guide members heretofore referred to permthe rotation of the spring box While holding the saine in alinement.

in Fig. 4 l have shown a section of the Watch mechanism Which includes the driving Wheel F which is rigidly secured to the arbor E and is in mesh With the pinion M which in turn drives the center Wheel C, and through it the remaining movable parts of the Watch.

In Winding the patch, the power is conveyed through the Wheel D vfhich is in mesh `-with the teeth H on the spring box G. These teeth are provided with a click or retaining member, and as the zvheel i3" is turned, the po'zver is conveyed through these teeth to the spring which then revolves in the ouide slots formed by the recessed portions in the bottom of the plate B and the retaining cap K as already described. lt vfill be noted that the spring box G is not guided in its movement by the arbor E or by the collar CX, but

is preferably out of contact vrith the latter and is guided solely by the engaging shoulders b, b2 of the bottom plate B and the shoulder d3 of the retaining cap K. By this construction it will be apparent that there is no frictional ivear 'oi' the arbor E vvhen the Watch is being Wound. After and vvhile the Watch is Wound the tension of the s ring J tends to cause the rotation of the co lar CX and through it the arbor E. The movement of the latter turns the driving vvheel F and communicates the movement to the other parts of the Watch, as before stated.

lt will be seen that vfith the construction herein described, I have provided a spring Y barrel with click teeth on its periphery, in Which the Winding may be permitted Without any frictional engagement of the arbor with its jeWeled bearings. The jevveled bearings themselves are permanently secured in the outer movement plates at a maximum distance apart, thereby providing a maximum stability as far as the lateral movement ot the arbor is concerned. Moreover, the arrangement of the retaining cap K, vnen taken in Y various parts Without the necessity of dismantling the Watch or removing any of the jewels therefrom. The top plate may be removed and then by simply lifting the drive Wheel F the arbor and the drive Wheel are Withdrawn bodily together from the lower llo senese plate B. By withdrawing the screws L the cap K inay be lifted and the collar CX and the spring box G reinoved as shoivn in Fig. 5.

While l have shown the spring barrel as ,i having a top plate ga and a bottoni plate gb, i it will, of course, be obvious that the barrel or box could be inade Without either one of these or even Without both of thein since the cylinder is retained in position by ineans of the guide shoulders, and there is no lateral pressure on either the top or the bottoni of the boX.

I claim:

l. In a Watch or clock niechanisin, top and bottoni plates, one of said plates being provided with a recess and an annular flange on the edge of said recess, a recessed cap provided With an annular groove arranged to receive said annular flange and a spring box provided with teeth o n its periphery arranged to enter the registering recesses oi' said cap and plate and to be guided by peripheral guide members on said cap and plate.

2. ln a Watch or clock mechanism, a recessed plate, a rotatable spring barrel carried in said recess and provided with click and .l Winding teeth on its peri hery, a grooved cap i provided With a lateral y projecting ange l arranged to be attached to said plate to retain said spring-box, and centering means carried by said plate on the edge of said recess and arranged to enter said groove.

3. in a watch or clock inechanisni, a recessed plate provided with an upwardly extending annular llange on the edge of said recess, a rotatable spring barrel carried in said recess and provided with clicl and Winding teeth on its periphery, a cap provided with an annular groove arranged to engage said lia-nge to guide said cap in position, and means for attaching said cap to said plate.

4. ln a vfatch or cloclr mechanism, a top plate, a bottoni plate provided with a recess, a spring barrel disposed in said bottoni plate and provided with teeth on its periphery, a slotted driving arbor jouriialed in said top and bottoin plates, a collar slidable longitudinally of said arbor and having a pin arranged to enter said slot, and a spring arranged vfithiii said barrel and having one end attached to said collar.

ROBERT L. MARSHALL.

v'Vitnesses W. B. GRAY, NALTE C. AMENT, 

